Ricki Tarr
Ricki Tarr is a fictional character created by John le Carré, and is a major figure in le Carré's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Biography
Ricki Tarr was a field agent, a member of "scalphunters", a section used when a bit of physical derring-do might be called for by the Circus, based at a fictitious Brixton laundry and jokingly described as "cosh and carry" by Smiley. He is sent on a mission to Hong Kong to run the rule over a Russian potential blackmail target who, when he gets there, Tarr realizes is a "Moscow Centre trained hood" engaged in a deception operation—he comments to Smiley "You can tell one of your own". In packing-up to return to London, Ricki has a chance surveillance of the target's wife, Irina (played by Svetlana Khodchenkova in the 2011 movie), also a KGB operative. Tarr starts an affair with Irina, and when she tells him about a mole in the Circus, attempts to broker a deal to bring her back to London.
Ricki grew up in Marseille, the son of a French mother and an Australian preacher father. He has a child with a Eurasian woman, who he believes can pass for white. His boss at the Circus is Peter Guillam and it is revealed that George Smiley originally recruited him. Due to various mishaps during his career (e.g., falling for a female Polish agent, causing a suicide via blackmail) Tarr is widely regarded among the scalphunters as "disaster-prone".
Portrayals
Tarr was played by Hywel Bennett in the 1979 television serial based on the novel.[1] In the 2011 film adaptation, he was played by Tom Hardy.[1]
References
